Time's Illusion
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: It was the fortune cookie that the strange old lady gave me. When I read the message that was in it, my life changed completely. "Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return. Repeat: say nothing." I had to find the answers and I wouldn't rest until I got them.


**A/N: This is my take on the 'Time prompt' and the 'Fortune Cookie' prompt for the WritersMeow and Unseen-Writers group on deviantArt. I hope you guys enjoy this AU. I don't know why, but I felt like trying to write something in first person for a change. And who else to choose than Xion? :)**

* * *

_~ It's true what they say about death. When it happens to you, you know it's over. ~_

* * *

"Oh, but I didn't order-" I protested loudly, but it was in vain.

The older lady beat me to the punch by saying something in what I would guess was Chinese. She resolutely pushed the plate into my chest, then turned around and left my table, her head held high.

_What the actual hell?_

"…Thanks?"

It came out as a question, because I wasn't sure what to make of this. Quite honestly, I also wasn't so sure if I was ever going to visit this Chinese restaurant again. First that tall, quiet, red-haired guy who worked here and kept glancing at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Now this old lady acting weird to me and giving me stuff I didn't ask for… This was a strange place, that's for sure.

_Or maybe it's just been a long day and it's all in my mind. Wouldn't be the first time._

Since she wasn't going to take it back, I decided to do with the order as I pleased.

With that in mind, I opened my fortune cookie and read the message in it. It said,_ Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return. Repeat: say nothing._

"Okay…"

Was this some inane attempt at a sick joke?

I looked around me, half-expecting to spot a hidden camera or at least someone staring at me, following my every move. But the opposite was true. The few people that were in here were all minding their own business, like they should. Normally, I would shake it off as some sort of publicity stunt from the restaurant itself; this place had just opened after all. However, when I thought about all the weird phone calls and freaky events of the past three days, I just knew that there was more to it. Not to mention the fact that I was certain that someone was watching me.

But if this was true, then that meant... Someone wanted me dead.

I'm not sure how I pulled it off within a few seconds, but before I knew what hit me, I had already paid the bill and I was standing outside, in the pouring rain. My feet were automatically carrying me back to my rented apartment downtown. I was vaguely aware of my surroundings; It was getting dark. I had to dodge a few objects here and there, but I never allowed myself to slow down. Who knew what would happen if I did that. Thank god those few months of gymnastics were paying off. I wasn't exactly a star, which was one of the reasons I stopped (the other reason were the ridiculous demands when it came to my body and eating habits), but I wasn't completely hopeless either.

When I was so wet through that my hair and clothes were plastered to my body, I finally realized that I had forgotten my coat in the Chinese restaurant. But I couldn't go back now; my apartment was much closer than the restaurant and there wasn't anything left to save from the rain. Besides, that black coat was pretty old. It made me look like I hadn't been in the sun for years, thanks to my overly pale skin and dark hair. I could only wonder why I had bought it in the first place. I also never kept anything valuable in my pockets, so I wouldn't miss the old thing.

Unfortunately for me, though, I didn't react as fast as I should have when I crossed the street. The last thing I heard was a horn and the shrieking of tires as its owner desperately tried to stop the vehicle.

In my whole life, I've been hit a total of three times in the face with a basketball. Being hit by a car that was going at least sixty kilometers per hour felt a dozen times worse, and not only to my face. The only difference was that time seemed to slow down between that blow and the landing on the concrete ground.

It's true what they say about death. When it happens to you, you know it's over. Your brain starts hyperventilating – was that the right term? – and within a few seconds, you were experiencing the most vivid and important scenes in your life. It was a countdown, but with images instead of numbers.

6… _My first day of school. I was dressed in a cute red dress, my hair in a high ponytail. My mother was filming me. I had never been this nervous before, because I could tell this was an important day (hence the camera), but my mom looked so happy._

5… _It was my tenth birthday, and my very first birthday party. Only four out of the eight people that I had invited came, but that was to be expected, since I had never been a popular girl._

4… _My father bought me all five Harry Potter books. He knew how much I loved the series, since I wouldn't shut up about it. The fifth looked the most appealing to me, because I hadn't read it before._

3… _This was the first time I became aware of the fact that this world was far from perfect, what with the crimes, discrimination, and others hating on me, especially my so-called friends and family. As I had curled up into a little ball in my bed, I wanted to die._

2… _I graduated cum laude from the best university of the country. This was without a doubt the happiest day of my life._

1… _The first time I met my current crush and I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. It was also the first time I wondered if I had used deodorant this morning…_

And then…nothingness.

* * *

I opened my eyes, but I instantly wished that I hadn't. Sometimes, you couldn't be prepared to the intense pain you felt. Had I been dreaming? It had felt so real...

"Axel, she's coming to."

Then it dawned upon me that I had no idea where I was…or who the two men who were sitting on either side of the bed were. The young man who had spoken first couldn't be older than seventeen, maybe eighteen years. He smiled friendly at me and his cerulean blue eyes seemed to hold a certain innocence to them. The other man, Axel, had fire-red hair that contrasted with his emerald-green eyes. He seemed slightly familiar to me. Had I seen him somewhere before?

Then it hit me: he was the red-haired guy from the restaurant.

The first thing I said was, "Who are you?"

"Axel, got it memorized?" he replied with a wink.

However, when his blonde companion coughed, Axel rolled his eyes. "And this serious guy over here is Roxas. We're your babysitters until you get used to your new life. Welcome in Twilight Town, your new home. There are a few important things you need to know. First of all, you're not really dead. You won't return back to earth, tho-"

"_What_?"

Then what was the purpose of being alive if I couldn't be with the people I cared about? I knew this wasn't a dream. I just hoped that I hadn't woken up in some mental institution.

"You'll be given a second chance at life here, so no need to give me that look," he continued, as though he had never been interrupted. "Secondly, and this is important, you must know that time is a mere illusion, just like the pain you're feeling right now." He grabbed my arm and applied some pressure on my wrist.

At once, I felt like my wrist was being pierced by a thousand needles.

It's not really there," he simply said.

_The hell it isn't!_

How would he feel if I broke his leg and said that it was just his imagination? And why was it that I kept running into rude people today?

"As I was saying, time is just a concept created to give the pre-life a purpose. Fact is that even if you know the "time," you still don't know when someone has served their purpose on earth before appearing here, because it's different for everyone. You see, life isn't stopping when you leave the earth. On the contrary, it's just starting."

"Yes, you already said that," I couldn't help but mutter. "Listen, this sounds really nice and all, but you honestly don't think I believe anything you've said, right?"

Axel opened his mouth, probably to say something sarcastic, but his friend was faster. "I understand. You can look out of the window and see it with your own eyes."

I blinked. Axel may have been a big jerk, but this Roxas guy seemed to be a sweetheart. I did as he proposed. My eyes became the size of saucers as soon as I did. It was a sunny, but lazy afternoon. Children were playing outside. Their parents were watching over them from a nearby terrace. The people here dressed differently compared to what I was used to, that much was obvious.

"Don't mind him. He's just been to the wise Yen Sid, who taught him how to fly," Axel explained when he saw that my eyes were resting on the brunet boy who was floating three feet above the ground.

I didn't know why, but I felt that Axel and Roxas were right about one thing, I wasn't on earth anymore. Maybe I was still dying in some hospital and my mind had come up with this story to keep me stable or busy. Maybe I really was starting a new life in a place that was real. Whatever it was, I figured that it wouldn't harm anyone if I tried to enjoy it for as long as it would last.

"So Miss Xion, are you ready to start your _real_ life now?"

With an encouraging smile, Roxas offered me his hand, and I took it. After taking a deep, shuddering breath, I got up and declared, "As ready as I can be."

I promised myself right then and there that I would do anything to discover the meaning behind the fortune cookie. That, and my killer. I had to know who it was and I wouldn't rest until I got the answers.


End file.
